Yunak iyesi (

Old Turkic Old Siberian Turkic, generally known as East Old Turkic and often shortened to Old Turkic, was a Siberian Turkic language spoken around East Turkistan and Mongolia. It was first discovered in inscriptions originating from the Second Turkic Kh ...

: 𐰖𐰆𐰣𐰴:𐰃𐰘𐰾𐰃) is the bathhouse (or bathroom) spirit in

Turkic mythology Turkic mythology refers to myths and legends told by the Turkic people. It features Tengrism, Tengrist and Shamanism in Central Asia, Shamanist strata of belief along with many other social and cultural constructs related to the nomadic and wa ...

. ''Yunak'' means bathroom or bathhouse, and ''İye'' means something akin to owner or possessor. In old

Turkic culture Turkic peoples are a collection of diverse ethnic groups of West Asia, West, Central Asia, Central, East Asia, East, and North Asia as well as parts of Europe, who speak Turkic languages.. "Turkic peoples, any of various peoples whose members ...

, especially in rural areas, bathrooms were at a corner of the living room of the house. These were called Caghlyk. Every Caghlyk or Hammam had an İye (protector spirit), that called Caghlyk İyesi. If disturbed by an intruder while washing, Yunak İyesi might pour boiling water over them, or even

strangle Strangling or strangulation is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain by restricting the flow of oxygen through the trachea. Fatal strangulation typically occurs ...

the passerby. Yunak İyesi had the ability to predict the future. One consulted him by standing with one's back exposed in the half-open door of the bath. He would gently stroke one's back if all boded well; but if trouble lay ahead, he would strike with his

claw A claw is a curved, pointed appendage found at the end of a toe or finger in most amniotes (mammals, reptiles, birds). Some invertebrates such as beetles and spiders have somewhat similar fine, hooked structures at the end of the leg or Arthro ...

Hammam iyesi

Hammam iyesi was the name of bath spirit in the Turkic mythology. They were akin to the bathhouse spirit Yunak iyesi.

References

External links

Tatar Türklerinde Varlıklar, Çulpan Zaripova
(Munça İyäse, Hamam İyesi) İye Household deities {{Turkey-culture-stub